Thousands of graduates will pack their rucksacks and head for Thailand this Summer, searching for a new experience after those stressful finals.

But instead of travelling abroad for a gap year, why not look closer to home and plunge yourself into an experience that could transform your life – a leap year with City Year.

City Year is a national citizen service movement whose mission is to create radical social change in schools. By ‘giving a year, to change the world’, graduates can have a profoundly life changing experience, beating anything else as a leadership development experience or springboard to a good career.

City Year recruits 18-25 year olds for a year of coordinated social action. Diverse teams of recruits – known as corps members – are placed in schools in disadvantaged communities to act as mentors, role models and tutors to the pupils.

This year, 112 corps members are serving full time, four days a week in schools, of which two-thirds are graduates. Their impact is huge.

Corps members are in school early to welcome pupils at the school gates and run breakfast clubs, essential for some children. They support teaching staff during lessons, reinforce learning, act as eyes and ears and nudge pupils to do their best. All corps members are allocated a list of pupils that need the most help and which they will mentor intensively over the year. We reinforce positive behaviour and provide emotional support as well as create an additional academic focus to help them progress. Because we are nearer in age to the pupils, compared to most teachers, the relationships we can forge with pupils can be very powerful. Some people compare it to being like a professional big brother or sister.

It’s tough and not suited to everyone, but the rewards are immense.

Not only could you play a profound role in the success of a child or young person, you could also be transforming your own aspirations, leadership skills and professional networks, vital to help you adapt to the next stage of your life.

City Year aims to have a ‘double-impact’. Firstly, the mission is to have a transformative impact on disadvantaged children. But it also works to have a transformative effect on the corps too.

Every Friday, all corps members benefit from a Leadership After City Year programme, a year-long personal development plan to help the corps develop their leadership style and the skills to continue being social activists.

Everyone is matched to a corporate mentor and has access to work shadowing opportunities with our sponsors – Credit Suisse, Barclays, Deutsche bank, National Grid, Tullow Oil – to name a few. Careers advice, interview practice, public speaking training, running community action projects and a whole host of other opportunities enable the corps to acquire more knowhow as they transition into their careers or next stages of their lives.

Grads or students doing placement years that have joined City Year say that the experience was life changing. They gain confidence, experience of working in challenging schools, make lots of new friends and develop as people. Previous corps members have said “You learn a whole load of stuff that you don’t get at uni.”

City Year has deep roots in America where it operates in 24 cities nationwide and has the backing of President Obama. But despite being a relatively new start-up in London, it has already attracted a wide cross section of corporate and political supporters here too.

Politicians are interested in the way young people can be a great catalyst for social change and a powerful way to help children achieve at school. And businesses want young people that have more than a bunch of qualifications under their belt. They want passionate, dedicated, idealistic young people that have honed their leadership skills right at the sharp end.

So what are you waiting for? Give a year, change the world. It could be the best decision you ever make. The City Year recruitment pages are here: www.cityyear.org.uk

Muktari Richards is a currently a member of the City Year staff team working as a recruitment assistant. He initially volunteered for City Year as a school-based volunteer then returned for a second year as a team leader in Hackney where he was able to mentor 17 children in the KS2 SEN class.

“It was amazing to inspire and make a connection with children who were struggling academically. The patience and discipline that I gained through my time at Sebright Primary was very rewarding as it honed my interpersonal skills even further. It was tough at times, but when those lightbulb moments came and as children gradually made progress, it created a warm feeling in my heart. I was able to make a difference to many children during my year of service. The highlight of my year was being able to work closely with seven children who were so far behind that they needed extra one to one support outside of normal lessons. I’m proud to say that I played a significant role in enabling all of them to catch up with their peers and they are now fully participating in classes.”

Richards, Muktari

What you’ll get with City Year

• In-depth experience working with children and young people;
• Mentoring support from an employee of one of our partners;
• The Leadership After City Year programme – one day per week dedicated to your development throughout the year;
• £100 per week for expenses and subsistence costs, plus any travel expenses for City Year activity;
• Eligibility for a Citizen Service Award of up to £750;
• Free uniform, including t-shirts, trousers, boots, and our iconic red jacket;
• Membership to our alumni programme;
• More than ninety per cent of our corps members are successful in securing a place in higher education or a job after their time with City Year.

For more info go to: http://www.cityyear.org.uk/index.php/join-us

Imagine going to a job interview and having your interviewer hold your hand and then proceed to have what looks like a heart attack. How would you react? Calm and in control? Then you might just be Heineken material.

As the video above shows, Guy Luchting beat out 1,734 other applicants for an event sponsorship internship at the Dutch brewer by not freaking out during this very strange job interview. As a result, he got to represent the brand at the Champions League matches going on in London right now.

The video (for a longer version, see below) comes as many brands — particularly European ones — seem to have a fascination with punking consumers from their target demo. One of the most recent examples is a Nivea program in Germany that subjected consumers to a “stress test” by convincing them that they were wanted by the police.

Source: Mashable

Acing a job interview is no minor feat. There are plenty of equally qualified, highly motivated, and experienced candidates waiting for you slip up and hand them the position on a platter. Hence, you need to be on your toes and prepare for the interview like there’s no other job left in the world. Otherwise, you’ll always be the candidate who gets shown the door while the applicant you waited with gets offered the post. So what tasks should you accomplish before going on an interview? Check out these three vital things that you absolutely must do:

1) Know your resume by heart.
This is one task that a lot of candidates seem to take for granted. Plenty of applicants assume that they don’t need to review their resume before an interview since the company already has a copy. Well, it’s time to bury that assumption. Interviewers loathe it when they ask an applicant to cite the specifics of their work history only to find out that the applicant can’t seem to do it without reading off a copy of the resume. It’s your resume, right? So it’s only fair that interviewers expect you to know every minor detail indicated on it.
Speaking of resumes, knowing it by heart isn’t enough. Now that your resume has earned you a chance to be interviewed, you should try to determine which aspect of the document captured the interest of the recruiter. Was it your constant and steady climb up the corporate ladder? Was it your vast experience in a highly specialized field? Was it your extensive training in the industry? Once you have the answer, you’ll have a better idea of what the company considers the ideal candidate for the job. Of course, knowing the company and the position will be a great help as well.

2) Practice makes perfect.
Just like a play, a smooth job interview can be done with proper rehearsal. Though the company won’t give you a script to follow, you can definitely write your own lines. The first thing you need to do is compile a list of the most commonly asked interview questions as well as the questions that one applying for the specific post might be asked. Think about your answers to these queries, and enlist the help of a peer, colleague, or family member to run through a mock interview with you. Although you have the option of practicing alone, it will be loads better if you have an objective ear to listen to your responses and give you feedback on how to improve. By engaging in such an exercise until you achieve near perfection, you’re setting yourself up for a smooth- sailing and job-nailing interview.

3) Make sure you look good on the big day.
Days before the interview itself, you should lay out the clothes you’ll be wearing on the big day. Think about your attire, and choose your interview outfit with much care. The interview isn’t a black tie occasion, but it certainly calls for something more than a casual T-shirt worn over tired-looking jeans. A business suit, slacks, a neat blouse or button-down shirt, smart shoes, and appropriate accessories are the only way to go. If you show up with an unkempt appearance, you can probably forget about getting the job. There are tons of similarly qualified candidates who are more pleasing to the eyes.

Succeeding at a job interview takes lots of preparation. You need to be adequately prepared inside and out before you can even think of entering that interview room. So if you want to be get ahead of the pack, do the necessary groundwork.

Author brief summary
Felix Tarcomnicu is a career blogger and currently a regular contributor on ResumeOK. There he is teaching others how to write a professional CV by using resume examples. For more similar articles, you can follow him on Twitter @ResumeOK or on Facebook.com/resumeok.

The cost of postgraduate university courses could become an extra obstacle to social mobility, warns a study from the Sutton Trust charity.

It says if students need postgraduate degrees for a tough jobs market, poor students should not be priced out.

There are fears that increased undergraduate tuition fees could deter people from staying on at university.

Postgraduate courses could become the “preserve of the better off student”, says trust chairman, Sir Peter Lampl.

The study, carried out by researchers at the London School of Economics and Surrey University, looked at the rise in postgraduate numbers – and how it might affect fair access to jobs.

Rising costs

The proportion of people of working age in Britain with a postgraduate qualification has climbed rapidly – up to 11% from 4% in 1996.

The study found that a postgraduate degree remained linked to higher earnings, worth on average more than an extra £5,000 per year compared with someone who only had an undergraduate degree.

But the report raises concerns that if employers increasingly want to recruit people with postgraduate degrees, that such courses should not be limited to wealthier students.

In particular, there is a worry that if students have had to pay up to £9,000 per year for three years they are less likely to want to take on the financial burden of even more years of university.

“Graduates facing debts in excess of £40,000 through undergraduate student loans are likely to see the prospect of funding a further £20,000 a year in fees and living costs, without having access to student loans, truly daunting,” says Sir Peter.

“When I was growing up, there were many professions that were open to young people with good A-levels.

“More recently, an undergraduate degree has become essential for many of those careers. Now we find that a postgraduate degree is increasingly expected,” says Sir Peter, describing this inflation of academic expectations.

“Of course, a better educated workforce should be good for Britain. But it is essential that this should not come at the expense of widening inequalities of access to these professions.

“Postgraduate study is becoming increasingly the preserve of the better off student, both from home and abroad.”

The Sutton Trust says there should be a better system for providing financial assistance to students wanting to stay on for postgraduate courses.

Source: BBC News & Education

Cait Reilly, who is currently completing three weeks at Poundland, working five hours a day. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

Jamieson Wilson, 40, an unemployed HGV driver from Nottingham who was stripped of jobseeker’s allowance for refusing an unpaid cleaning role, also won his legal challenge.

Lord Justice Pill, Lady Justice Black and Sir Stanley Burnton, sitting in London, ruled that the regulations behind most of the back-to-work schemes were unlawful and quashed them.

The pair’s solicitors claimed the ruling meant anyone docked jobseeker’s allowance for not complying with the schemes could demand the money back.

Labour accused the coalition of being “incompetent” and unions hailed Miss Reilly a “hero” as they called for the programmes to be scrapped.

But the Government pointed out that the judges had agreed requiring people to join the schemes was legal, meaning they could continue.

Employment minister Mark Hoban said it would appeal the ruling while also drafting new regulations immediately to remove “any uncertainty”.

Image via Flickr, Martin Pettit

“Ultimately the judgment confirms that it is right that we expect people to take getting into work seriously if they want to claim benefits,” he said.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has also vowed not to repay anyone who had not been seriously trying to find work and said it was looking at “options” to avoid paying out.

Miss Reilly was forced to leave her voluntary post at a museum to work unpaid at Poundland in Kings Heath, Birmingham, in November 2011 under a scheme known as the “sector-based work academy”.

She was told she would lose jobseeker’s allowance if she refused and spent two weeks stacking shelves and cleaning floors.

Mr Wilson, a qualified mechanic, was told that he had to work unpaid, cleaning furniture for 30 hours a week for six months, under a scheme called the community action programme.

He objected to doing unpaid work that would not help him re-enter the jobs market and refused, leading to him losing jobseeker’s allowance for six months.

Following the ruling, Miss Reilly said: “I don’t think I am above working in shops like Poundland. I now work part time in a supermarket. It is just that I expect to get paid for working.

“I hope the Government will now take this opportunity to rethink its strategy and do something which actually builds on young unemployed people’s skills and tackles the causes of long-term unemployment.

“I agree we need to get people back to work but the best way of doing that is by helping them, not punishing them.”

Public Interest Lawyers, which represented both claimants, called the decision a “huge setback” for the DWP and said it would send Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith “back to the drawing board”.

Solicitor Tessa Gregory claimed the case had shown that the DWP was “going behind Parliament’s back” and failing to seek proper approval for mandatory work schemes.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: “It beggars belief that David Cameron’s Government is now so incompetent it can’t even organise work experience.

“Work experience is crucial in helping many young people get ready for work. Two years in, David Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith’s so-called welfare revolution is in a state of advanced chaos.”

Source: Sky News

Our full list of the Top 75 Websites For Your Career is not a ranking and there are no winners or losers; it’s simply a compilation of nominated sites that we believe deserve some special recognition. The list includes blogs, job aggregators and boards, personal career coaching pages, and traditional media outlets’ career sites that could be useful to those in traditional 9 to 5 office jobs, Federal workers, work-from-home professionals, entrepreneurs, college students and retirees.

Here’s our first-ever list of the Top 75 Websites For Your Career (in alphabetical order):

Source: Forbes, Author Jacquelyn Smith

We'll get the ball rolling.

1. Recruitment is very time consuming

Outsourcing recruitment allows you to focus on your core business. You can also spend more time on developing and retaining your existing staff. Most people underestimate the time it takes to find the right candidate for a role, sometimes it can take up to six months or longer. You need to work out how much your time is worth vs. recruitment agency fees.

2. Larger talent pool

We have access to a large pool of candidates who may not know about your company or have not considered working for you. We have also built up relationships with passive job seekers who may be a better fit with your organisation than those who happen to see your advert one day.

3. Social Media

We can use a variety of different methods to find your perfect employee and we tailor our approach to your needs. We are well established members of Linkedin, have a large following on Twitter and Facebook and have an extensive candidate database.

4. Advertise in more places, for less money

We have advertising deals agreed with a variety of job boards, newspapers and specialist websites. We have negotiated good rates which we can use on your behalf.

5. Experienced consultants

We have a great deal of experience interviewing and screening candidates. We can act as the first stage of your interview process and provide you with pre-screened and appropriate candidates. As specialist recruiters, we can better determine suitability and fit to your company, as we interact with these types of candidates every day.

6. No time-wasters

When our candidates come to meet you for interview, they will be fully briefed, fully prepared and, most of all, enthusiastic about the role you are offering.

7. No candidate, no fee

We don’t charge any money until we’ve successfully filled a position and even then we offer a rebate period (in the unlikely event) that your candidate should not work out.

8. Confidentiality

We can help you to maintain confidentiality so that you don’t give away your competitive edge. By undertaking your own recruiting, you offer your competitors an insight into your company’s direction and success. You can keep all this information fully confidential by using us.

9. HR / Recruitment Support & Advice

We can also offer support and advice on salaries, contracts, HR issues, market trends and availability. We want to get to know your business and give advice if you need it. We can also assist when negotiating salaries, benefits, bonuses etc and most people find it less stressful talking through job offers via a middle-man.

10. Don’t believe us? Ask our clients!

Recruitment is our job and we have a lot of experience in it! We also have a number of existing clients who will back up our claim and happily provide you with a testimonial on our services if required.

Source: The Clever Consultancy, Author Sarah
Please Note: Some text has been edited to suit our services.

Market yourself effectively

Applying for jobs is often a difficult and demoralising process, but it’s important to stay positive and learn from your mistakes. Here are ten common mistakes you should try to avoid:

1. Passing on responsibility for your job hunt

It’s important that you don’t try and blame others for your job hunting difficulties. Focus on positive action rather than negative thoughts. Brush pessimism to one side and look to the future. What’s happened has happened, but by taking control of the current situation and letting your personality shine through, you will overcome this.

2. Make your job search your sole focus in life

Enjoy family time, eat well and exercise. Leave the house each day, volunteer, learn new skills, meet people and maintain a balance in your life. We all need interaction and variety: often the harder you chase something, the more it eludes you.

3. Take rejection personally

Unfortunately it’s rare to be offered the first job you apply for — it’s just not that easy. So, accept rejection as part of the process and always ask for, and even more importantly learn from, feedback. The job you don’t get helps you next time so always push for feedback and act on it.

4. Search in the same place as others

Surfing the online job boards is an important first port of call in finding a job, but there are also lots of other places you can explore. For example, you could look at recommendations, referrals and professional networks as this market can be less competitive.

5. Fail to deliver a clear message

Employers are interested in where you have added value, not everything you’ve ever done. Make sure they can see the wood from the trees. Think of yourself as a movie trailer and not the whole film – what is it about you that generates enough excitement and interest for an employer to buy a ticket to the main feature?

6. Hide it from the people in your life

Although searching for your next job is a personal experience, don’t try and do it all alone. Share the experience with your loved ones and you’ll be far stronger and more effective in your quest.

7. Apply for every job you come across

This makes you look desperate and you’ll lose focus. Try to take more time on fewer applications and don’t adopt the scatter gun approach. Throwing more mud at the wall won’t lead to more success, just more mess. Nothing puts an employer off more than you not knowing anything about their business or what the role entails and, if you have multiple applications out in the field, keeping track of them all becomes an impossible task.

8. Be afraid to push yourself forward

This is no time to lurk in the shadows. Don’t be afraid to shine, blow your own trumpet and tell people how good you are and what value you can bring to their business. Confidence, not arrogance, is the key here – don’t let your skills and experience be the best kept secret.

9. Forget that times change

If you’ve not been in the job market for a few years, you might have expectations that are unrealistic. It’s easy to think that it’s exactly the same as when you last looked for a position, but times have changed. Take a more enlightened approach and try to gain more understanding of the modern job market and how best to place yourself in it.

10. Take your eye off the competition

Make sure you differentiate yourself from other jobseekers. Instantly falling in line with what the competition is doing will put you at a distinct disadvantage.

Think not only about your skills and experience but also your key achievements. These should be things where you have made a difference and done something out of the ordinary. Your competition is likely to have similar responsibilities but achievements are unique to you. Think about a particular situation, what you did and quantify the outcome or result where possible. This way of thinking and presentation on your CV falls in line with the competency-based interview style of questioning and will help you make an even better impression once you get to interview. Knowledge is power and the more you know about yourself and what makes you different, the better placed you are to attack the job market and find your next position.

Source: The Guardian, author Simon Gray

All you need to do is send a link of your best work with a short biog (no more than 50 words) to talent@pretzelfilms.com.

An industry panel and Pretzel will create a shortlist announced on 11/3/2013 and that shortlist will be invited to give a brief presentation.

The winner will be announced on 28/03/2013. Good luck!

Source: Pretzel Films

Source: Tribe HR